Prince Andrew's public order trial delayed to December
The trial of Prince Andrew for an alleged public order offence has been postponed until December.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The trial of Prince Andrew, also known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, for an alleged public order offence has been postponed until December 21. The case relates to an incident on 6 May in the village of Wolferton, Norfolk, near the Prince's home on the King's Sandringham Estate. The defendant, Alex Jenkinson, 39, is accused of threatening the Prince in a way that caused him to fear unlawful violence while Andrew was walking his dogs.
A judge decided to delay the hearing, which had been due to take place this week, partly because of a psychiatric assessment of Jenkinson that was conducted this week; the results are expected in August. The court also heard that part of the trial will involve examining Jenkinson's online searches on his mobile phone.
Jenkinson denies the public order offence against Andrew and also denies a second charge of using threatening language or behaviour against another man the day before the alleged incident. However, he has pleaded guilty to failing to provide a blood sample while in custody in May. He remains on conditional bail, with conditions including a ban from entering any royal properties such as Sandringham, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, and Highgrove, and a prohibition on contacting Andrew directly or indirectly. He is also currently barred from re-entering Norfolk.
Prince Andrew is expected to give evidence at the trial via video link. The December date is just days before the royal family's traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham, which has been described as unfortunate timing for the family.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Sky News |
|---|---|
| Prince Andrew will give evidence via video link. | |
| The alleged incident occurred in Norfolk while Prince Andrew was walking his dogs. | |
| The trial in the Prince Andrew case was delayed to December 21. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the specific details of the alleged incident, the legal proceedings, and the impact on the royal family's Christmas plans. The tone was factual but noted the 'unfortunate timing' for the royals, adding a layer of human interest.
- “Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is now due to stand trial in December after a judge decided to delay the hearing, which had been due to take place this week.”
- “Now, this is unfortunate timing, of course, for the royal family. It comes just days before the family will be wanting to focus on their traditional gathering at Sandringham.”
Broadcast Timeline
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